Online Canadian pharmacies such as Canada Drugs Online are not surprised by the shocking statistics on the rising use of antidepressant drugs just released by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers, gleaned from data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for the years 2005 to 2008, revealed that the use of prescription antidepressants increased a whopping 400% since 1994. Among the key findings:
Eleven percent of Americans aged 12 years and over take antidepressant medication, particularly between ages 40 to 59.
Females are more likely to take antidepressants than are males, and non-Hispanic white persons are more likely to take antidepressants than are non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American persons.
More than 60% of Americans taking antidepressant medication have taken it for 2 years or longer, with 14% having taken the medication for 10 years or more.
It's not uncommon to hear average Americans comparing the side effects of antidepressants, or debating the effectiveness of Lexapro vs Wellbutrin XL. The sharp increase in the use of antidepressants is controversial, with many maintaining that North Americans are needlessly and possibly dangerously over-medicated.
Those opposed argue that there is a trend to handling everyday stress and upsets with prescription medication (this is the decade that gave rise to the use of the slang "take a pill" as a way of urging someone to relax.) This trend is said to be misguided at best, and driven by Big Pharma who brush aside potential risks in pursuit of profit at worst.
Others argue that depression is caused by an imbalance in brain chemicals, and that taking antidepressant drugs to restore that balance and relieve depression is akin to a diabetic taking insulin to restore their ability to control their blood sugar.
According to Canada Drugs Online spokesperson Alexa Wray, some of the reasons behind the near epidemic use of depression medication are:
The introduction in 1987 of the more effective selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), beginning with Eli Lilly's Prozac.
Increased off-label prescribing of antidepressants to treat conditions other than depression such as anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress and bulimia.
The lessening of the stigma attached to depression and other mental illness, leading more people to talk about the condition and the use of depression medication.
More awareness of the subtle symptoms of depression, resulting in more depression sufferers patients seeking help, and more physicians diagnosing the illness.
Lower prices as the patents expire on expensive brand name antidepressants and cheaper generic versions hit the market, and the increasing use of the internet to purchase cheap Canadian drugs online.
Big Pharma's enthusiastic promotion of high-profit prescription antidepressants to both physicians and the public.
Canada Drugs Online has noted strong and steadily increasing sales of prescription antidepressants for years, currently led by the SSRI Lexapro and its less expensive equivalent generic escitalopram, with Wellbutrin XL a close second.
Wray says it's worthy of note that suicide rates have decreased steadily since the introduction of Prozac and other SSRIs. But she stresses that whether or not to take an antidepressant, which antidepressant or antidepressants to take, and how long to stay on depression medication remain individual decisions that should be made in consultation with a healthcare professional.
Canada Drugs Online is licensed in the province of British Columbia by the College of Pharmacists of BC. CanadaDrugsOnline.com is also approved by PharmacyChecker. PharmacyChecker collects, evaluates, and reports credentials, prices, and customer feedback regarding online pharmacies.
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